Fuzzyheart's Tale
by leopardfire2012
Summary: Some days my past haunts me, but not anymore. Here is my tale of how I became a medicine cat of CatnipClan.
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**Allegiances:**

* * *

 **CatnipClan-**  
 **Leader: Leopardstar-** white she-cat with black paws, blue eyes, a tiger-like tail, a light gray muzzle, and orange ears with a black tip  
 **Deputy: Angelfur-** gray she-cat with blue eyes  
 **Medicine Cat:**  
 **Jewelfur-** black and white she-cat with light green eyes  
 **Warriors:**  
 **Frostfeather-** silver and black tom with blue eyes  
 **Shadowberry-** black tom with blue eyes  
 **Apprentices:**  
 **Nepiapaw-** brown and black tabby she-cat with light green eyes

 **Cats Outside the Clan-**  
 **Heart of Gold-** tan and brown she-cat with blue eyes (She is a show cat)  
 **Gem-** tan and brown she-cat with blue eyes  
 **Sapphire-** tan and brown she-cat with blue eyes  
 **Foxpaw-** orange tom with black paws, blue eyes, white muzzle, and white tail tip (his tail was cut off by a fox trap.)  
 **Lily-** flame-colored she-cat with green eyes

* * *

 **Prologue:**

Fuzzyheart woke up. It was the middle of the night.  
"Not again." She muttered.  
Silverpaw was awake. "Hey, keep it down." She whispered. "We have to be ready to heal cats tomorrow."  
"Sorry. I just had a nightmare again."  
"You've had a lot of those lately." Silverpaw said.  
"I know. I can't help it. I feel like my past is haunting me."  
"It's easy." Silverpaw said, "Just accept the past and move on."  
"I wish it was so easy." Fuzzyheart replied, "Mine breaks my heart when I think about it..."  
"Listen. Bramblefur's going to gather herbs tomorrow. Why don't you tell me your story then?"  
"Alright."  
Fuzzyheart yawned.  
"Time to go back to sleep!" Silverpaw joked.  
"Yeah."

The next day, after Bramblefur had finished her nap, she left the den to gather herbs.  
"You two behave while I'm gone. Especially you, Silverpaw."  
"I know, mom." Silverpaw said, "I'm not a kit!"  
Bramblefur sighed, and went off to gather herbs.  
"So...the story?" Silverpaw asked.  
"Ah, yes. I remember like it was yesterday." Fuzzyheart said, "My mother's name was Heart of Gold. At least, that's all we knew her by. She never revealed her true name to us. I had one other sibling. Her name was Sapphire. We lived together happily...until we were old enough to enter these events..."


	2. Chapter 1: Show Prep

"Today is the day!" Heart of Gold said.  
"For what?" Sapphire asked.  
"To get ready for the great show!" Heart of Gold replied, "But first, you two need a bath!"  
"Not a bath!" Gem complained.  
"Yes, you must be clean to win so the twolegs can see your shiny coat."  
"I want my coat to be shiny!" Sapphire said.  
"Alright then, Sapphire. Show Gem how it's done."  
Gem watched as Sapphire got a bath and didn't even fight back.  
"You didn't even fight back!"  
"But I want to win!" Sapphire replied.  
"That's my Sapphire." Heart of Gold said.  
A twoleg picked up Gem and was carrying her another room.  
"Help! I don't want a bath!"  
"It's show prep, Gem." Heart of Gold said.  
The twoleg carried her into a room to give her a bath.

After Sapphire and Gem had been given a bath, Heart of Gold watched as they were groomed with several types of toothed hands (combs and brushes). Their coats were trimmed with silver claws (scissors). They were given collars. Gem was given a light blue collar, and Sapphire a blue collar.  
"What are these?"Gem asked.  
"Collars. This way you will return to me if you get lost."  
"I don't want to be lost. I want to stay here!" Sapphire said.  
"You will, now that you have a collar."

"You let those twolegs give you a bath?" Silverpaw said.  
"Yeah, but I did fight a little." Fuzzyheart replied, "A lot even. All those toothed hands and silver claws, and they kept grooming me constantly. Then a few days before the day of the first event, we got new names."  
"You got new housefolk?" Silverpaw asked.  
"No, we stayed with Heart of Gold. But we got new names for these events...Just _for_ them, even. At first I didn't know what they were for. Our housefolk still called us Gem and Sapphire at home. But when we entered the events...our names changed."

 **Author's Note:** In case you weren't sure what these events are, they are cat shows. That's right, Fuzzyheart used to be a show cat! After all, she _is_ a purebred himalayan cat.


	3. Chapter 2: New Names

"Lil' Gem...Lil' Gem..." The twolegs called.  
"Mama, who are they talking to?" Gem asked.  
"It's your new name." Heart of Gold replied.  
"My new name? But I thought that Gem was my name."  
"Not anymore. From now on, your new name is Lil' Gem."  
"If you say so..." Lil' Gem said.  
Lil' Gem walked toward the twolegs, who gave her some food.  
The twolegs began to call for Sapphire.  
"Sweet Sapphire...Sweet Sapphire..."  
Sweet Sapphire ran toward the twolegs and got some food as well.  
"One day, you shall be great show cats like me. I should know what it's like. I was the best of my breed and the best of my littermates. They didn't want to be show cats. They wanted to be like normal cats owned by housefolk and not worry about ribbons or being the best. So I did my best to be the best. And who was chosen to stay here? Who was the one who wasn't given a chance to be a normal cat? Me, that's who. The rest of my siblings were given new housefolk, and given the dream they wanted, while I was winning shows and given awards."  
"Wow. One day I want to be just like you. I want to win!" Sweet Sapphire said.  
"That's why you're still here." Heart of Gold said, "You're here to learn how to win."

"So, you got your name changed by twolegs?"  
"Yes."  
"So, how did you discover the wild?"  
"We had been outside a few times, but we were taught that there were bugs and puddles that would make our fur itch and our coats dirty. But I ran about in the grass anyway while my sister would stay by my mother's side, not leaving the safety of the platform. Well, one day I discovered there was more outdoors than I knew about..." 


	4. Chapter 3: The Wild

Lil' Gem had escaped through the cat flap and leaped onto the fence.  
Lil' Gem saw the endless twoleg nests.  
 _Wow! The world is so much bigger than I thought..._  
But then something caught her interest. She saw a group of cats.  
She leaped down from the fence and saw the thunderpath, crossing it to the garden with the group of cats.  
She had been spotted by a black and white she-cat with light green eyes.  
"Where are you going, little one?"  
"I was just exploring. There's so many things to see out here!"  
"Shouldn't you be with your housefolk?"  
"Shouldn't you?"  
"I used to live with those twolegs, but I left to join CatnipClan."  
"CatnipClan?" Lil' Gem asked. Her eyes widened.  
"Yes. I am the medicine cat. My name is Jewelfur."  
"That's so cool! Can I join your clan?"  
"I'm not the leader of the this clan. Leopardstar is, but she's busy at the moment. Maybe you can come back later?"  
"Sure! I'll come back later! But my mother is going to worry about me if I'm not at home..."  
"Well, I'll see you around, kittypet."  
Lil' Gem turned around.  
"Kittypet?"  
"You're owned by twolegs, aren't you?"  
Lil' Gem nodded.  
"Well that just means you're owned by twolegs and live with them."  
"Maybe I'll never go back. Maybe I'll just stay here."  
Lil' Gem heard his mother's voice.  
"Lil' Gem...where are you?"  
"I better go. Have fun in your clan."  
Lil' Gem ran across the thunderpath and leaped over the fence.  
"There you are! Where have you been?"  
"The wild."  
"The wild? Now why would you want to go there?"  
"I was only exploring."  
Heart of Gold decided to ask Lil' Gem a question.  
"So, how was the wild?"  
"It was the best."  
"Good. Now you've had your fun. Now you will be a show cat without distraction."  
"But I love the wild. Don't you understand?"  
Lil' Gem followed her mother into the twoleg nest. Then, she was given another bath and grooming.

"So, what happened after that?" Silverpaw asked.  
"Well, our mother told us about a new event happening, the first one of our lives. My sister was excited, and practiced every single day. We didn't get many chances to go outside anymore. Our mother and our housefolk were too busy preparing us for the show. My sister won, and I didn't win anything. Other than something that said I was in the show. My mother forced me to go to them. I had no choice. I wanted to leave, but every time my mother found me. She soon finally realized my destiny was not to a show cat like her." 


	5. Chapter 4: Left Behind

"Mother, do I have to go to the show?" Lil' Gem asked her mother.  
"Yes, you _have_ to. Just winning something that says you were in it does not count as winning the show. Sapphire's ribbon...this is what _winners_ get."  
The twolegs put them into cages.  
"Now you will participate in this event and let the twolegs see how pretty you are. And you will be a cat like me, and be a great show cat. Forget about the wild, it's too dangerous for a cat like you."  
"Yeah, Lil' Gem." Sapphire yowled in agreement. "The wild has too many dangers in it for you to survive."  
"But there's cats out there who _are_ alive, living in the wild."  
"They must be mousebrains if they think they can live out there on their own."  
"They're not by themselves. They're in a _clan_."  
"What a mousebrained idea! Cats in the wild? They're all _dead_ by now."  
"Dead? What does that mean?" Lil' Gem asked.  
"They are no longer alive and walking around like us. No longer eating or breathing. That's what happened to your father. He thought the same things about the wild that you did. One day, he was crossing the thunderpath and a monster was coming across it. He didn't make it to the other side. The monster _killed_ him."  
"That's why we are living here. We're safe from them here inside." Sapphire said.  
"Time for the great show! Are you ready, Lil' Gem?"  
Lil' Gem shook her head. But she didn't have a choice. The twolegs began to take them the show.

"So...your father was a show cat too?"  
"Yes. It was the first time I had heard about him."  
"Did you ever find out his name?" Silverpaw asked.  
Fuzzyheart shook her head. "I tried to many times. She never told me his name. It didn't matter to her anymore, since he was dead."

The cages had been gently placed next to each other on a table.  
"Another show! I can't wait for these twolegs to see how cute I am!" Sapphire said.  
"Neither can I." Lil' Gem said, trying to sound excited.  
Some of their housefolk opened all their cages.  
"It's time for the show!" Sapphire said.  
One of the housefolk picked Sapphire up and carried her away.  
"Good luck, Sweet Sapphire! The ribbons are waiting for you!"  
The rest of their housefolk followed them.  
Heart of Gold took this chance and put Lil' Gem onto her back, and walked out an open door to the outside. Then she put Lil' Gem onto the ground.  
"The life of a cat like me isn't for you, is it?"  
Lil' Gem shook her head.  
"Fine. Go live in the _wild_ , like those other cats. I'm sure there's plenty of monsters on the thunderpath nearby just waiting for a cat like you to come walking past it."  
A twoleg closed the door as Heart of Gold walked inside, not noticing the little kit she had left outside in the rain just beginning to fall onto the ground.  
Lil' Gem pawed at the door, but it didn't move. No one came.  
"Someone please let me in."  
No one answered her call for help. As the rain got heavier, Lil' Gem walked away from the door and away from the only mother and life she had known, tears falling down her face. She didn't notice her old housefolk when they drove away, until they were too far for her to reach. But she wanted to go back to the clan that cat had told her about, so she followed the monster's path on the grass next to the thunderpath.

"She just left you there, Fuzzyheart? All alone in the rain?"  
Fuzzyheart nodded. "I managed to get onto a monster that had a place to rest. I stayed on it until I knew that I was back where I used to live, and then got off."  
"That must have been a big leap."  
"It was. But it was a risky jump I was willing to do. Once I had made it off of the monster, I got off of the thunderpath to the other side. I was lucky that I didn't have to cross it again, because on the side I was on was where your clan was."  
"CatnipClan!" Silverpaw said, getting excited. "So how did you end up being the medicine cat?"  
"Don't worry, Silverpaw. I'm getting to that."

Lil' Gem looked around for the cat she had talked to so long ago.  
I _wonder if she's still here?_  
She suddenly realized how hungry she was, and saw a mouse which was motionless.  
 _Is the mouse...dead?_  
She sniffed it, and gained the courage to take a bite.  
"This mouse tastes really good!"  
She continued to eat the mouse, not noticing the black and white she-cat that was coming towards her.  
"Yes, I'm sure it does. But this mouse is in CatnipClan territory."  
Lil' Gem looked up and saw a she-cat in front of her. Her light green eyes were focused on the mouse she was eating.  
"Why can't I have just this one? I'm really hungry."  
The she-cat noticed how young Lil' Gem was. She must be very young, but nearly old enough to be an apprentice.  
"You're very young to be here by yourself. Especially away from home."  
"I don't have a home." Lil' Gem said, trying to explain.  
"But you have a collar."  
"Well, just because I have one doesn't mean I live with those twolegs! Maybe I'm just looking for someone to get it off."  
"I could help you." The she-cat replied. "My name is Jewelfur. I am the medicine cat of CatnipClan. You could join our clan if you want."  
"Well, I don't really have anywhere else to go." Lil' Gem said.  
"By the way, what's your name?" Jewelfur asked.  
"My old housefolk called me Gem. So...what do cats in a clan do?"  
"We hunt prey and fight to defend our territory. But some prefer to heal others instead. I was never a good hunter or fighter, but if I needed to I could defend myself and my clan."  
"I'm not sure if I can hunt or fight that well. I didn't ever get a chance to practice that."  
Jewelfur nodded. "Perhaps you might be able to walk the path of a medicine cat, with me as your mentor."  
"Lead the way, Bramblefur." Gem said.  
"Okay, Gem _paw_. Follow me to your new home."

"So that's how you joined our clan. What happened to your collar?"  
"Someone was able to get it off of me and buried it in the ground."  
"Why do you have a different name now?" Silverpaw asked.  
"I wanted it to be changed. Having my name be Gempaw was a reminder of my old life, of my past. When Leopardstar changed my name, I knew that I could finally leave it behind me. Now I was a true warrior of CatnipClan."  
A familar voice from the past made Fuzzyheart look up.  
"Lil' Gem...is that you?"  
Fuzzyheart knew whose voice it was.  
"Mother...why are you here?"  
"I have always wanted to find you, to know where you ended up after leaving you there all alone. Now I know where you were all along."  
"I've been here for a long time. I don't even have a collar anymore, and I have a different name that cats know me by."  
"I know that you must like it here. But I want you to come back with me. Don't you want to spend my peaceful days of being an elder with me?"  
Fuzzyheart shook her head. She knew that what she said might break her heart, but she hoped that her mother would understand.  
"I can't go back. I was born to be a warrior."  
Her mother tried not to be shocked. She turned around and began to walk back towards twolegplace.  
"Mother...Who was my father?"  
Fuzzyheart's mother turned her head back towards her daughter.  
"Your father was the nicest tom I knew, and probably the bravest. You want to know what his name was? It was Flame, but in the great shows he was called Flame of the Brave."  
"Thank you. I always wanted to know his name."  
"Goodbye...Lil' Gem."  
The two of them didn't say another word. Fuzzyheart and Silverpaw simply watched as the elderly she-cat walked away without looking back.


End file.
